Running • Yoga • Mom Stuff • Life

Once upon a time, Betty wasn’t born yet and when the enrollment rep at my gym informed me that the dues were $90 per month I didn’t even bat an eye. It seemed very reasonable to me for all the classes I was going to attend and the pool I was going to use every single day.

Then I think I got in the pool five times in all of the years I was a member there and it was because I was hugely pregnant and any other kind of exercise hurt.

After Betty arrived it was time to scale back on some things because children cost money. One of the things on the chopping block was my astronomical gym membership. I didn’t care. Between work and baby my schedule had completely changed so that I couldn’t even make it to the classes I liked anymore and what was the point of paying nearly $100 a month to get on an elliptical trainer? I bid farewell to my big fancy gym and signed up for a little no-frills gym right across the street; $20 a month, no pool or classes or anything like that, but they have treadmills and that’s all I really needed. Oh and tanning, but do people really still go tanning regularly anymore? I don’t think I’ve been tanning since 2010.

Anyway as you guys know I recently lucked out and got a great new job. New job is fairly near to where I am currently, but later on this year the offices are moving to a much bigger building and I will have a real commute for the first time in years. Not a terrible one, but much farther than I’m used to because pretty much any commute is longer than the 1/2 mile I have to drive right now.

The most unfortunate thing about this commute is how inconvenient it is for my fitness. There are several days during the week that I like to use the gym on my lunch break and once the offices move, my gym would be 12 miles away. I could either wake up even more super early every day to go to the gym OR I could find a new gym closer to work.

I’ll let you guess which one I did.

5 Reasons Why My New Gym Rocks

CLASSES! OMG the classes. I went through the schedule before I signed up and they have so many great classes at times when I can actually attend them such as Yoga for Athletes at 6am. I can’t think of a better way to start my work day than with a yoga class. They have tons of spin classes which I haven’t taken since I left my old pricey gym, and Body Pump which I have been wanting to try for the longest time, and even Barre! Which costs a little extra, but I don’t care because I’m sure it doesn’t cost $20 like the studio I go to sometimes.

POOL! This time I’m going to use it! Maybe I’ll even do water classes!

DAYCARE! My no-frills little gym had a daycare too, but it was kind of sketchy so we never used it. I have a feeling it will be hard to drag Betty out of the new gym daycare. I kind of want to play in there.

AFFORDABLE! When I added up the cost of my current gym membership plus the cost of all the outside classes I take, I was actually spending more money every month than I will be spending for my membership at this new place.

(This is the best part and the one that sealed the deal.) MULTIPLE LOCATIONS! New gym is a chain. The biggest and best gym in the chain is brand new and about a mile from my house. And then there is a smaller gym 2 miles from my new job site! Easy access for my lunch breaks and literally right on my commute route so I wouldn’t need to go out of my way in the morning if I wanted to go to work out before work.

Today at lunch I’m going over to the big fancy gym to get my membership card and take a tour. I’m so excited!! This new job is opening up new opportunities everywhere I look!

Now on to the winners of the Muuyu yoga giveaway. I think this might have been my favorite giveaway yet because I got to pick so many winners and every time I clicked the “Choose a Winner” button a friend’s name would come up and make me smile. There are TEN of you! And here they are:

Nicole Barucci

Erica Agran

Sarah Bergman

Ursula

There’s only one Ursula so I’m sure there won’t be any confusion there. ❤

Sara Zwicker

Mary Peterson

SuzLyfe

Deborah Brooks

Rebecca Jo

Sara Becker

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I sure have a lot of friends named Sara(h). CONGRATULATIONS to all you wonderful ladies!! I will be emailing each and every one of you today with your Muuyu secret code that will get you the 5 free classes. Thank you so much to Muuyu for their generosity and to everyone who entered! Definitely check out the Muuyu site if you are looking for a fun new way to attend a yoga studio without actually having to leave your house. 🙂

I hope everyone has a spectacular Tuesday!

Do you belong to a gym? Does it have tons of cool classes? Which one is your favorite?

My gym has quite a few classes, but I haven’t been to one in ages since I started running. Plus, many of them are inconveniently scheduled for me, which sucks. I want to start doing yoga after my marathon, and my gym has classes, but part of me wonders if I should go to an actual studio. I’ve been to my gym’s yoga classes and they were crowded and just kind of okay.

They have one class I used to love…Body Something…like Body POW! or something intense like that. It was kind of like an aerobics class but used a lot of kicking and punching and martial arts. It was fun and quite a workout!

That’s how I felt about my old gym. Everything was like in the middle of the day while I was at work. I have taken some really great gym yoga classes and also some really terrible ones, but the same goes for a studio. You could always give it a shot and see what you think!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY
Also, I love that I am just Suzlyfe. We all know who that is!!!
I miss going to a gym with classes and comraderie. And I am so excited about Muuyu!!
It should be really helpful. HURRAH

SUZLYFE: There can be only one. 🙂
I hope you love the Muuyu! I am excited to do another class. And I hope I make some new gym friends! There weren’t really any friends to make at my other gym unless I wanted to hang out with the big muscle guys. Which I really didn’t.

Yay for the winners – I make sure not to enter anything I know I won’t use, so I hope all of these ladies get great use from their classes!

Also awesome that you found a new gym! We were having a discussion here and have been petitioning the plant manager to have showers installed. There are normally showers in a manufacturing site (but this was built before this was common), and even though this is mostly research now there is still manufacturing happening. I would definitely bike or run to work if there were showers!

I really hope they love it! It was so much fun for me to see so many names of people I like popping up!

I would LOVE to work at a a place that had a gym or even showers. Gosh knows I’m super gross when I come back from runches. I hope they would do that for you! Running and biking to work would be cool. 🙂

The gym sounds great! My current “gym” is also my son’s school (local jewish community center) and I don’t use it as a gym too often but it’s good to have the option – plus we have to be members anyway for him to attend so….it works. But when he goes to kindergarten I’ll have to figure out something else since it’s not worth it just as a gym. I do like having the option of gym, classes, spin, and swimming all in one place less that 5 minutes from my house. We’ll see.

Yeaaaahhh!!! You joined BB!!! I’m traveling this week but I’ll be at Yoga for Athletes next week!!!!

Oh and if you take Body Pump try to take the 6AM Thursday class. Pam is awesome!!! It just doesn’t fit with my half training schedule. I’ll be back there guns a blazin’ after the half though. 🙂 She also teaches 6AM spin on Tuesdays and a Saturday AM class. Can you tell I love Pam?

I haven’t tried to take Charlotte there in over a year – I think she was too young for the chaos of the child care area. Let me know if you plan on doing anything in the evening and dropping B off. Charlotte might enjoy it more with a friend.

Okay so I just got back from there and that place is AH-MAZING. I think their treadmills make me faster because I just killed a speed workout on one of them. I had no idea they had free swim on Friday and Saturday! Betty is going to be beside herself! I’m totally taking her after dinner on Friday.

The kids place is so nice, but it’s a little lame that they have to be 4 in order to use that jungle gym thing. But it looked like there was a lot of fun toys in the other area too so maybe she will love it. I’m always up for trying a class in the evenings! Let’s look at the schedule and see if they have anything cool coming up.

Your new gym sounds great! I belong to a gym, but it’s a YMCA so many of the classes aren’t anything I would consider (e.g., classes for seniors). I’ve taken spin and bootcamp classes, but my favorite is TRX. I love it to bits!

I am so jealous of your new gym! It sounds amazing. I got rid of my gym membership in NYC years ago when I realized that I was sick of paying for just the treadmills and that I was running outside even in negative temps. Here in Chicago we have a park across the street that has a track and a tiny indoor gym. It took me about 6 months to figure this out but they have treadmills tucked away in there for only $22 a month. This works perfectly for me in the winter. But I am still kind of looking for the perfect fit like you found. So awesome.

That’s the perfect price if all you really need is a treadmill! Honestly if I wasn’t switching jobs, I probably would have just stayed where I was, but it was pretty shocking to learn how inexpensive this one is for everything you get. I just got back from my tour and it’s really even nicer than the club I was paying $90 a month for. And like half the price. I’ll take it!

Your new gym sounds a lot like my new gym! I haven’t been using it to its full potential yet because it’s closer to where we will be living this fall than where we are currently living. Plus, that whole being crazy busy because of moving thing. But I’m sure it will be awesome. I can’t wait to try body pump!

Hey!! Very cool about your new gym!! That’s great!! It’s always nice to have lots of classes and a pool! I’m a member of 2 gyms + an aquatic center so there is always lots to do. I never get bored. I change my schedule up a bit every now and then. It’s fun!
Also, congratulations on your new job!! That’s such great news to hear!! Way to go!! You sound very happy!! Amazing!! XOXO!!
Have a great day and enjoy the cool yoga classes!! Yoga for athletes!! I wish my gyms had that class!! Neat!!

That’s so cool that you can mix it up so much! As much as I didn’t use the pool at my last gym, I’m much more excited about it this time around. I’m also in a much different place fitness wise though than I was when I was there so maybe this time I’ll actually stick with it. 🙂 The yoga studio in the new place is SO NICE. I’m so excited to try a class! Thanks, lady! ❤

Hooray for new gyms that are a bazillion times more awesome! I love my gym. They have an indoor and multiple outdoor pools (which happen to stay open long past Labor Day, unlike anywhere else out here), TONS of classes, and they do lots of events for members and non-members. I used to go to Body Pump on the regular too but stopped because Thursday’s class is at 6:45…which means I had to be there right at 6pm to get in line to maybe get a class pass (only 35 people allowed in the room for that class). It’s a pain. Soooo I haven’t gone in a long time but the instructor knows me and gives me a hard time! Anyway….BP is tons of fun! I think you’ll like it! That yoga for athletes class sounds amazing too!!!

I just got back from there and my mouth was hanging open for pretty much the whole tour. It’s been a LONG time since I was in a gym that nice. I think it’s nicer than my really expensive one! There is a Body Pump class at 6am on Thursday that I think I’m going to try out. The group ex room is HUGE and the guy giving me a tour said that you can always get a spot. Plus I would love to see who else is crazy enough to do Body Pump at 6am.

That gym sounds perfect. I get really excited when fitness things miraculously are perfect and have easy logistics–for example, I just figured out that the place I’m interning with this fall has a rails-to-trails bike path literally right next to it. SCORE!

The gym I belong to right now is a university gym that is brand new, and I’m spoiled by how lovely it is. 5 floors, 2 indoor tracks, lots of classes.. I’ll be sad to leave it

Your new gym sounds awesome! I’ve actually never had a gym membership, but I would definitely want all of those things that your new one has if I did :). I also think having an indoor track would be fun!

I would LOVE to have an indoor track! I’ve never even trained on a track and I know I’d enjoy it so much. I have had a gym membership pretty much forever, but my fitness level is totally different than when I paid all that money for the other gym. I think I’ll get a lot more use out of the perks of this one!

Yay for new gym!!!!! I love my gym. Everything. I wish I could go to more classes–they have a lot they offer. But I know once things settle I’ll be able to find a routine that works. In the meantime, I love everything I use it for. 🙂

Yay for you! I’m excited for you to try body Pump. I was just there last night 🙂 I have a gym membership which I love because there are locations everywhere and one 2 blocks from my office and half a mile from my house (used to be down the street until I moved). I do personal training elsewhere but it’s nice to have so many options! no excuses for skipping the gym 😉

That’s EXACTLY what I was hoping to find when I picked a new gym. Close to home and the office means that I have no excuse to skip out. I am really excited about Body Pump! I’m going reeeeally early in the AM on Thursday so it should be a fun way to wake up!

The gym and I have a love/hate relationship haha. I’m always super excited at first, but then I can only go early in the morning so my only class option is spin (maybe I’ve just taken it with less than stellar teachers, but i haven’t been a fan thus far) and I get bored on the treadmill and elliptical and I’m really just a whiny baby. I miss my old body weight routines in my living room which I can sleep in an extra half hour to do (while watching my DVRd shows), and before I know it, I cancel my membership because I don’t want to pay to be miserable. I will say that it saved my butt a ton this winter when the roads were too icy for me to run, so I’ll probably join up again when we move for the winter, but I hope I can find something better, since thus far I have not been overly impressed and spend a nice chunk of time telling Joe we need to make our own home gym, which causes him to groan like all get out. No idea why 😉

What I would not give for a home gym! Treadmill for icy days. A barre so I could do barre exercises. A way I could crank the heat up to do hot yoga inside without affecting the rest of the house….haha. Luckily this gym has some good early morning stuff which is when I’m going to be there most of the time. I hope I like the instructors.

I am so jealous! I have been looking for a gym that will have body pump. I love love LOVED Body Pump when I did a few years ago. But I haven’t been able to find a gym that offers it at a price I can afford up here. Enjoy your new gym!

I don’t belong to a gym and kinda have one at my house with most the the equipment I need but your new fancy gym is making me want to join one just because it sounds fun!!! Barre & Body Pump- how cool!

See I would love to be able to work out at home. I kind of do sometimes with hand weights and videos/YouTube hooked up through the TV, but I am excited for spin and the pool and yoga for athletes! I didn’t want to leave when I went over there earlier.

I do belong to a gym and I go often because of the 2 hours of childcare per day that I get 🙂 I usually take their yoga and bodypump classes and occasionally a spin class, although I have a spin studio that I prefer! I wish mine had barre!

This gym has the 2 hours of childcare too! What a great deal! I also found out today that they have tot swim classes so I think on Saturday morning I may let Betty play in the daycare while I take a vinyasa class and then right after that we can go to swim class. This is going to be great. 😀

Your gym sounds perfect! I’ve been going to Merritt since 2007 when I lived in Towson (I was in in grad school so I got a reduced rate) but they sucked me into staying and now I just can’t break away! I don’t think I get my money’s worth- I only use body pump regularly and when I’m marathon training I hardly go at all. If/when we move out of the city I am definitely going to find something more reasonable.
And seriously, do people still go tanning? I got a spray tan before my wedding but other than that I don’t think I’ve been in a tanning bed since 2005.

I was looking into Merritt too because they have locations near my house and near the new job, but they are the smaller 24-hour locations and just paying to use those two is way more expensive than Brick Bodies that lets you use all the clubs. I love the Merritt in Towson though. Betty took swim lessons there last year.

I think maybe the tanning is there because most of the people who work out there are really muscly and maybe they do competitions and need to tan for those? Not sure, but definitely not my thing.

Look at you! That’s super fun and I’m really happy for you. I obviously am a gym nerd and love hearing what other facilities have to offer. I haven’t paid for a gym membership in a long time, which is a perk of working at one. My day job doesn’t let us work out but my side teaching job grants me a free membership which is the bomb. Maybe you should look into teaching?!

I would LOVE to teach. I’m so afraid I wouldn’t be any good at it though! I’m terrible at public speaking or getting up in front of people for any reason, although somehow I think I would make a good yoga teacher. Who knows. That’s awesome that you have that perk for teaching at your gym!

I am the same way on commutes. Not counting the business I own, but the other part time jobs I take from time to time, I get irritated if I have to drive more than 1-2 miles, LOL spoiled I guess:) I just hate traffic and years ago used to commute over an hour one way, will never go back to that!
That is awesome about your new gym!

Haha we are totally spoiled. 🙂 I actually had another offer for a job now that is about the same commute in the other direction, but the highway traffic would be so bad that it’s stopping me from even considering it.

Doing my “I’m a winner!!!!” Dance!! I’m so excited!! And yay for the new gym! I’m on the hunt for a new gym as well and found one within walking distance of my house which I’m kind of excited about!! Going to visit tomorrow to check things out. 🙂

Duuuuude. Sweeeet. Glad you found a good gym. I recently let our membership run out after 10+ years. It’s ok, I’ve been able to fanangle a few free memberships. They aren’t as fancy, but they’re a lot cheaper! Enjoy your classes!

The non-fancy gym was just fine for me! I would have probably stuck with it, but they only had that one location and it would have been way too inconvenient. I didn’t realize how much I wanted a new gym until I walked into this one though. It’s rad. I was already there this morning for yoga and I’m going to go shake out my legs on a treadmill at lunch.

Boooo that stinks about those classes! 😦 The last gym I went to (pricey one) always added classes in the fall when people were back from vacations and everything so I hope they will do that at your gym too. I ended up checking out that yoga for athletes class this morning and it was great! Exactly what I needed after my speed work yesterday. And surprisingly crowded for 6am!

Yeah to gym memberships!! I am a definite gym addict and as a stay at home the childcare is beyond a God send my way. The place is amazing and my toddlers run right in and do not even look back. The classes push me much more than I do when I am on my own. 🙂

Hooray for the childcare! I’ve never left Betty at a gym daycare before (only because of the sketchiness), but I have a feeling I will get a similar reaction when we try out the new place. I may take her in Saturday and see how she does. (And if she likes it, I’ll go to yoga for an hour!)

What!! I won, you have made my day. I can’t wait to try the classes. When I was Ontario, I was a member of Goodlife Fitness which is like the best gym. It has classes, multiple locations, women’s only section and it cost me $24 dollars a month. Steal! The gym in my current town is horrible. It’s $100 a month and the classes are so small you can never get a spot. I don’t even have a membership anymore. I’m so glad you found something closer though because honestly, you’ll probably use it a thousand times more if it’s convenient, Daycare is such a great perk. I don’t have kids, but I totally appreciate when this is offered for fit moms like yourself.

YOU WIN YOU WIN!!!! I really hope you love them. I want to hear all about what you think of them!

That is an incredible price for a gym! As I get older I find I’m becoming more into places that have women’s only sections. The branch of new gym near my work is women only. $100 sounds like a total rip off for that other place!

When I was touring yesterday they also told me that they have date nights on Friday where parents can drop off kids for $20 and they give them dinner and everything while the parents can go have a little break. Pretty darn cool!

I used to belong to a gym that was awesome it had the Les Mills classes and was so close to work and it was only $32 a month. Unfortunately life happened and I stopped going so I decided to quit and now just use the rec on campus if I need to!

Woah that’s a great price especially for a gym with so many great classes! That was one nice thing about college though…my school had a nice gym for me to use too. (I didn’t go nearly enough in college though.)

I don’t belong to a gym but would LOVE to! It’s just too hard with my husband being away and my work schedule (lots of traveling)…so we have our faithful treadmill at home, my home dvd workouts and I run outside when I can. I dream of the day I can go to a gym! ha ha ha! Hope the new job is awesome!

I still have serious treadmill envy! I would love to have a home gym, but that is just not in the cards for us right now. I’m definitely cool having this new place though! Thank you so much! I just hope I’m good at it. It’s definitely going to be a big change!

I do belong to a gym, and a pretty big one with lots of classes and a pool. I only go to the spin class though! I am not a big swimmer, and public pools freak me out. But I actually did swim there twice last month because I was so injured I could do nothing else. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

So exciting!!! There’s nothing like a new gym to make you really excited abt fitness!! I just went to bodypump this morning. It rocks. Yoga for athletes sounds like a class I need to take!! And yay for childcare!!

Hello!

Mom, graphic designer, yogi, and runner {always in progress}. Fluent in sarcasm. Running shoe and lip gloss hoarder. Loves wine, coffee, power tools, and horror movies. Spends WAY too much money at Target. Sharing my journey one mile at a time and hoping that I can motivate others along the way!

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